Some things happen for a reason
by labellemagique
Summary: Hundreds of years in the future our heroes look back on what happened and why... and come to the conclusion that some things happen for a reason.
1. Some things happen for a reason

Sometimes things happen for a reason. Sometimes they don't, but sometimes they do… and when they do it is truly something special. It's amazing how much things have changed through time… and yet they haven't. Someone who was supposed to have died hundreds of years ago is suddenly not dead, and the world is suddenly a much better brighter place. I used to think that she was the reason, the reason that we all kept fighting… I was right. I think that's why I gave up a little for a while. I stopped caring. I just wanted it all to end. Funny thing about being immortal, truly immortal, the only way for it to end is to take everything with you. My family didn't understand that. Their immortal as long as they don't die… I can't die. I can't die because hundreds of years ago I saved the world and now the only way I'll ever find peace is if I destroy it. Funny thing though, time, it can change you so much… and yet so little. She didn't change because time didn't pass for her… but the rest of us… hundreds of years and the day she came back it was like those years never happened. She was a part of our family once again… well not quite… it took a little bit of time… but not a lot. Time. There is so little and yet so much of it. I guess it all started back in 2006…


	2. July 25, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg:

July 25, 2006

I still can't get over how weird it is to keep a diary. I know that Giles wants us to do it because of the sheer number of girls who are now slayers, but still, it's not exactly something that comes naturally to me. Buffy always kept a diary of some sort so it was easy for her, I think Dawn did to, but for the rest of us making sure that we sit down and record the daily activities of the girls here at the castle is still like pulling teeth and I've been doing it now for two years. The only reason I remembered to right my entry today is because of how weird Buffy has been acting lately. Not uncomfortable weird like when Angel, Spike and the others first arrived to help us after the escaped from hell, or even weird like when she found out that her sister had a serious boyfriend whom she'd never even met before and that her sister might even get married before she did, but weird none the less. When I asked her about it earlier she simply told me that she'd had a nightmare and it had wigged her out but that it was no biggie. I think she had one of those prophetic dream thingies and she two wigged to tell anyone, which might be a problem since if she did have one of those prophetic dreams then she really should tell us because then we might know what's coming instead of sitting here like bumps on a log just waiting for some big evil to come and kill us all… okay maybe I'm a little weirded out too. It's not like I haven't faced the big evil apocalypse and all that before, in fact I'm practically an expert, I even was the cause of one once… but it's still always a little nerve racking no matter how many apocalypses you've survived. Plus every time Buffy gets one of her scary dreams its always when something really REALLY bad happens, like when she got killed by the master, or when Angel went all homicidal on us and tried to kill everyone… not that I'm judging because I'm not. I did the same thing a few years ago when I was all hyped up on the bad mojo and Angel didn't even have a soul when he did those things and I did so… wow I'm way off topic again! Anyway I'm really worried about Buffy because normally when she has one of those dream thingies she tells me at least, but she won't for some reason. What's even weirder is how moody she's been especially around Angel. It's like he's done something to offend her or something one minute and then the next she looks like someone killed her favorite pet. I know they haven't been getting along all that good lately… some residual issues came up a few weeks ago about her not trusting him or some garbage like that and of course Spike being the pain in the ass he always is made it even worse. The three of them almost came to blows and it took both me and Faith to keep them from killing one another. I tried asking her what the problem was but she said it was no biggie and left it alone. Angel is sure that she's hiding something, so is Spike. I heard them talking about it the other night. I don't think they originally meant for me to overhear, but then they started arguing about something and started yelling and almost came to blows. Again. I think Buffy's right on one thing though those two are just going to have to wrestle out their differences some day because otherwise they are going to kill each other. Well, as long as one of us doesn't kill the both of them first. I really hope Buffy figures out what her deal is soon or else one of those three really is going to wind up dead.


	3. She Saved Me

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in a small town hundreds of miles from here a young blond girl saved me. She saved me in more ways than one. She became my friend saving me from the oblivion that was high school during the 1990's, and she saved me from the vampires. I guess it was her fault that I was even in danger in the first place. After all, it had been she who told me to "seize the day," but I have long since forgiven her for that. After all she did save my life. It's ironic though that hundreds of years later the same young blond woman would save me from myself. I knew she was coming. Hundreds of years ago I was the one who would give her the information that would bring her here. Seeing her again was heaven and hell all boiled up into one. She is a part of my life, my families life, that we had long since forgotten, and yet hadn't. When she left I wanted to warn her, I wanted to tell her so badly that it nearly killed me, but I couldn't. I couldn't tell her that she only had a few years left. I couldn't tell her when she was going to die because nothing is worse then counting down the days to your own mortality… or so I've been told… I wouldn't know. The other slayer, Fray, she's a brave girl and she will do well as a slayer. She reminds me a bit of Buffy herself sometimes, but most of the time she reminds me of Faith. I don't even remember what my own parents look like but I can remember Buffy and remember Faith. When someone terrorizes you for several months they are hard to forget. That's not the only reason why I remember Faith. She was a good person in the end you know. It turns out that in the long run Buffy and Angel had been right about her. It's too bad that the reason I remember her is because I had to watch her die. I had to watch her count down the days, hours, and minutes to her own mortality and there was nothing I could do. I had to watch as every single one of the girls whom I had cursed with the powers of the slayer died in agony because I wasn't strong enough. I was too afraid and I wasn't strong enough to save them. I barely saved myself, and I wouldn't have even managed that without Spike and Angel. They saved me and in return I saved them. I just wish I could have saved Angel sooner…

I couldn't tell her though… I couldn't for the life of me say the words you are going to die and not long after so will everyone else that you know and love save for those of us so unlucky to be cursed with immortality. No, I couldn't do it, just like I couldn't tell Spike and Angel, the only family I had left on this earth that she would be coming soon. I knew that it would tear them up inside if they saw her again knowing what they know and so I didn't tell them. I just ran. I ran and I tried to kill her to keep her from knowing. To keep her from knowing just how terrible the world has become and to keep her from saving it. I tried to kill her in the future so that she couldn't save the world in the past, but I failed. I failed because I couldn't do it and now she's gone home. I tried to kill her and she saved me. Again.


	4. July 27, 2008

From the Diary of Rupert Giles

July 27, 2006

It's coming. Whatever Twilight has planned its coming. The war between us and Twilight has been brewing now for years but all of Twilights plans and hard work are about to come to fruition and all we can do is wait. Buffy says not to worry because what happens won't even matter in the history books of the future, but I'm afraid that she is dead wrong… or lying. For once I'm actually pleased about the presence of Spike and Angel here at the castle their arguments have caused so much drama that no one has even noticed how tense it's been around here lately. A couple of years ago Buffy told me that this battle would be occurring in a few weeks from today, but she wouldn't tell me the outcome. She wouldn't say anything except when. Gave me some line about how we make our own futures, but I know that she was hiding something. I don't know what, but she was hiding something. She did tell me one thing though. In the future there is only one slayer, which means at some point something is going to happen that disrupts the slayer line again… or restores it… whatever your point of view. A couple of nights ago Buffy told me that she had a dream about a demon that was headed our way. She said it should be arriving soon and that it was going to cause a lot of damage. I hope she's wrong. We don't need to have to deal with anything else right now; we need to focus on the battle that is coming. The future depends on it. When she heard me swear after she told me about the demon she smiled at me and said "Everything happens for a reason." I laughed. She didn't know just how wrong, and yet how right she was. After learning that a majority of the evil we'd face in Sunnydale was because of some evil secret society in Los Angeles it was hard to believe that anything happened because of coincidence anymore. I think that's why she's been acting so weird lately. One day she's yelling at Angel and Spike for being untrustworthy and useless, and the next she's asking if there is a way for a human being to become immortal. I asked her if this had anything to do with what she saw in the future, but she wouldn't tell me. I asked her why she wanted to know but she just smiled and said "There are some things that I learned when I went to the future that rose some questions. I don't really want to talk about it because it could mess with the present. I just think… that if there was something… that could make a person immortal, other than a vampire, that it might come in handy you know?" I had a suspicion this had to do with why she was fighting with Spike and Angel so much, or why she seemed distant from Willow ever since she came back from the future, but I didn't say anything. I didn't wan to upset her for no reason. I am beginning to wonder if she's afraid of dying. For someone who's died so many times you'd think it wouldn't be such an issue, but I think that's why she asked. Angel must have over heard us talking because a few minutes after she left he came in to speak with me. He told me that whatever I found I shouldn't tell her. I told him to shove off, but a couple days later when she asked if I'd found anything I told her that I didn't. I lied. I'd found something, but it was too horrible to even imagine. I think I'd rather see her as a vampire. At least vampires can be killed. I don't know what Angel was so worried about but I think he knows more than he's letting on. He always seems to know more than he's letting on which is part of why I know better than to trust him.


	5. July 30, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg

July 30, 2008

Buffy said something strange to me today. She told me that whatever happens to remember that she always loved me. I think that she thinks she's going to die. I'm worried about her. Giles told me about the demon that Buffy dreamt about. I knew that she'd had one of those dreams! I think she dreamt that she'll die though and that scares me because she's my best friend and I 'm not ready to loose her yet. I know that if she does die I have to let her go because I can never do what I did back in Sunnydale ever again no matter what the reason, but I don't want to let her go. What was really weird though was what she said after. "Willow, I know this is going to sound weird, but what ever you learn about that demon that's coming keep it to yourself kay?" I told her I would I promised I'd keep my mouth shut, but I don't know. If I learn something that could help us I might break that promise… it was so weird to begin with. What she said next was the weirdest part of the entire conversation, "Look, I know I'm sounding kind of morbid here, but if anything happens to me I need you to make sure that the people I care about are safe, and I know this is gonna sound really weird but I need you to look out for Angel and Spike. You, Xander, Dawn, and Giles all have each other, even Faith has people, but ever since they came back from hell neither of them has really had anyone to look out for them but each other and me… when they're not trying to kill one another. Especially since Giles is would be looking for just about any excuse to get rid of them." I don't know why she would think that two centuries old vampires would need help from anyone, let alone me, but I agreed. I don't mind either of them as long as they're not trying to kill one another, or the rest of us. In fact, unlike everyone else around here I would consider the two of them to be friends. I would say that Buffy does too, but lord knows there is still WAY too much in the way of underlying issues there, but clearly she does care about them. I think in her own way she loves both of them. I'd say more on the issue, but I don't know who might be reading this in the future and Giles has requested that anything having to do with Buffy's private life and relationship with either vampire is to be kept to a minimum. One of these days I'm gonna steal some of Giles old journals from Sunnydale and see what he actually wrote about… well I won't get into the details. I really hope that whatever is happening with Buffy is just in her head, like I said, I'm not ready to loose her again. I need my best friend.


	6. July 31, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg

July 31, 2006

Today the world lost one of its greatest warriors, and I don't care. The only thing I care about is that I lost my best friend. Buffy Anne Summers was one of, if not THE greatest slayer that ever lived. She not only changed her life and the lives of others, but she changed the world. She is one of the strongest people I knew and she is and always will be my best friend. I don't think she ever really realized just how many people loved her and just how many people miss her. The demon that Buffy had been telling us about turned about to be a Gnarach demon. Gnarach demons are extremely rare and can travel through space and time at will. Buffy, Faith, Angel, Spike, a few of the girls, and I went out on a routine patrol. One of the radars had picked up some demonic activity up in one of the caves in the mountains. We found a huge nest of Plebnar demons. There were twenty or so up in that cave. At some point during the fight a large portal opened and the Gnarach demon came through. The portal was still open behind it and a few of the Plebnar demons went through in order to try and escape. Since we didn't know where the Gnarach demon had come from I was busy trying to close the portal. Closing foreign portals is hard enough to begin with, but when there are ten supernaturally powered people and fifteen demons all fighting in a tight space well lets just say… it isn't easy. I had to focus all my energy on closing the portal. Angel noticed what I was doing and came over to shield me from the demons. Originally when the Gnarach demon had arrived it had stayed back as if it didn't know what to do. As soon as it realized what I was doing it came over towards me as if to try and stop me from closing the portal. Angel was distracted by the Plebnars and I was distracted by the portal, if Buffy hadn't jumped in the way the Gnarach probably would have killed both of us easily. Buffy grabbed the Gnarach tackling it back towards the portal. Gnarach demons have long, sharp sword like arms that look like swords. As Buffy tackled the demon the arm of the Gnarach went right through her stomach. With one last burst of effort Buffy tackled the Gnarach again and the force sent both of them tumbling into the portal. The portal closed immediately behind it. I just sat their staring at the portal which had just taken away my best friend. Faith managed to reorganize and get everyone's attention and She, Spike, Angel, and the girls finished off the remaining Plebnar demons in a matter of second. The fury that was emanating from the two vampires was palpable. Even Faith seemed to have a new energy behind her attack. It didn't take long before all the demons were gone and everyone stood in a stunned silence. Buffy was gone. This time she didn't even leave a body behind to bury. This time the demon had taken even that. We may never know where Buffy's body ended up. It could be literally anywhere, heaven, hell, the past, the future, even the bottom of the ocean is a distinct possibility. I guess it's for the best in the end. At least there will be no temptation to bring her back. This time she is really truly gone. When we came back to the castle Faith filled Xander, and Giles in on what happened. I think Giles called Dawn and Connor who were off on assignment in Rome with Andrew. I was to stunned and depressed to deal with anything and went off to my room to grieve. When I got to my room I found this letter which Buffy had apparently left on my desk this morning.

_Willow,_

_Please don't be mad at me for not telling you. You are my best friend in the entire world and I love you. Never forget that. I've known for a while now that this was going to happen. Don't be sad, it was meant to happen. I'm not really gone, I never will be. As long as the people I love are alive I'll always be there. I'm in a better place now, a place where I can finally find the happy ending I've been searching for, for so long. As someone who has been to the future I can tell you that it will be long and hard but in the end you will make the right choice. In the end everything that has happened and will happen is for a reason. I need you to remember what you promised. Make sure that Dawn is okay and tell her that I love her. I know Connor has a thing for her and if he harms a hair on her head make sure that you turn him into a toad… and then apologize to Angel for hurting his son. Make sure that Xander and Giles don't do anything stupid, and try and keep Angel, Spike, and Faith from killing each other. Also, I think we both know that Angel and Spike, but especially Angel, have a thing for suicide missions. Keep them from doing anything too stupid! Remember what I asked you to do. I know it sounds silly, but it's important to me. I love them both, and with me gone Giles will finally have a reason to get rid of them. He only keeps them around because I make him. Let Giles know that I loved him. He was a better father to Dawn and me than my own father. Tell Xander that he was the best brother that I never had and that he will always have a place in my heart. Remind Faith that she is a good person and tell her that I forgive her. In the end she ended up being a great friend, if not a sister. Tell Spike that I DO love him contrary to what he seems to think and that I'll always remember that he was there when I needed him most. Tell him that I forgive him to. Tell Angel that I love him. I always have and I always will. I never really did fully move on. I guess we really do live in some sort of soap opera. He has a long road ahead of him. Make sure he knows that the world really does need him, just like I do. I guess its best that I tell you now what's coming so that you all stand a chance. Twilight's great plan is to remove all the magic in the world by sucking it into some great big portal thing. Unless something changes he is going to succeed. You'll probably want to prepare some sort of counter spell in order to close the portal or else he'll kill everything on earth not just the vampires and demons. I don't know what is going to happen to each of you; however I do know that you Willow, will survive. I don't know the fate of everyone else. The good news is, is that without magic the world lives without threat of vampires and demons for hundreds of years, the bad new is that it won't make a difference in the end because they come back. I don't know how, or when, but they do. In the future there is a slayer named Melaka Fray and she is going to need as much help as she can get. I told her I'd let any of my immortal friends know in case they survived long enough to meet her. Pass that on if you would. Anyway, by now you're probably furious with me for leaving you, especially when I knew what was coming. Just know that this is for the best. It was meant to happen. Believe me; I'm happy where I'm at. Don't try to come looking for me. Don't try to trace where the portal went to. I've seen the future and I'm not ever coming back. I'll miss you all so much, but like I said I'm not really gone, just someplace else. I love you all so much._

_~Buffy_


	7. August 1, 2006

From the Diaries of Rupert Giles

August 1, 2006

We had her funeral today. It was one of the saddest days of my life. I can only think of maybe two or three other days that I have felt this way the first being Jenny Calendar's funeral, and the second when Buffy died the second time. I would also have to add Joyce's funeral to this list, however I was not as close to her as I was to either Buffy or Jenny. I'm not even sure that what we had can even be constituted as a funeral, more like a memorial ceremony. Willow refused to let us grieve. She told us that Buffy wouldn't want that, that she didn't want that. Spike and Faith seemed to agree so officially we had a "celebration of life". I miss her so dearly. She had a spark of life in her that seemed to light up the world around her. She really is the hope in the world, the reason for fighting for so many. I would have given up this life many years ago if not for her. She is the reason why I keep fighting. I don't think she ever realized just how much of an effect she had on the world. Angel only started doing the right thing because he saw her and wanted to help. He does good on his own now, but in the beginning she was the reason. For Spike she was always the reason. The only reason, well either that or a need for violence. However she has had so much influence on the both of them that everything they do that's good in the world is because of her by proxy. Faith too. Buffy saved Angel. Angel saved Faith, and now Faith has been able to help not only herself, but also other girls dealing with issues similar to hers. It never fails to amaze me just how much Buffy affected the world around her. But now she is gone. Forever. That's exactly what Angel whispered when he thought no one was listening "Forever. That's the whole point." I don't know what I'm going to do about the two vampires now. I really only allowed them to stay as long as they did because I knew that was what Buffy wanted, but now that she's gone I can see no reason to keep the both of them here. I'll keep them close to home, yes, after all I'll need to keep a close watch on the both of them. Especially Angel. He seems capable of either doing great good or wreaking terrible destruction depending on the mood he's in and he doesn't seem very stable right now. In fact he refused to talk to anyone except Willow, Spike, and Faith until Dawn and Connor arrived from Rome. I hope they can talk some sense into him before he completely goes off the deep end and does something rash. I'm less worried about Spike. He was more of a nuisance really than anything else. I just hope he keeps his mouth bloody well shut around here. He has a tendency to make everything ten times as painful as it has to be. With Buffy gone he might succeed in driving Angel truly insane. I'll probably send Spike to Rome to help Andrew so that Dawn has time to heal. This will be my final entry on Buffy Anne Summers the girl who did so much to change the way the world worked and made it a better place. She truly is one of the best people I've ever known, and certainly the greatest slayer.


	8. August 7, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg

August 7, 2006

I don't have much time for this entry so I'll have to be straight and to the point. I found the spell that Buffy said I should look for. It should succeed in closing the portal. The only problem is that it is going to require as much magical power as I can afford to use and that scares me. This may require more power than what I had to use to activate the slayers, and that scares me. It's been a little over a week since Buffy died. Everyone is still reeling. Faith has taken over as head slayer now. I managed to convince Giles to let Spike stay, just like I told Buffy I would. I then managed to convince Spike to leave Angel alone. Angel seems as messed up as he was when he, Spike, and Connor showed up on our doorstep about a year ago. I don't really know what to say. I think it's the shock of loosing too many people in too short a time. I asked Giles to find him something to do. He said he'd try. I don't really know what else I can do. I know that Spike is hurting too, but he refuses to deal with it. I think Spike is going to be a lot worse off in the end. It hurts so much. I miss her so much. I need my best friend.


	9. August 14, 2006

From the Diary of Rupert Giles

August 14, 2006

The end of days is here and there is nothing we can do about it. I found one of Buffy's old journals from two years ago and she described in detail what is going to happen. Twilight is going to suck all the magic out, but Willow will stop him just in time to save life from being extinguished. Human beings will survive. Willow will survive. The entire current line of slayers will be obliterated. I guess Twilight will succeed where the First failed. I told Faith, Angel, Spike, and Willow what is going to happen. I wouldn't have told Angel or Spike, but I needed their input on how to handle the situation. Faith seemed to accept her own mortality fairly readily. A little too readily. Angel and Spike seemed prepared to go down fighting as best as they could. After all this isn't the first time that they've faced death. I lied to them though. I told them that somehow Dawn and Connor would survive. I don't think they could bear it if anything happened to either of those two. I'm not sure it will matter. According to what Buffy wrote only humans will survive. As a key and the son of vampires Dawn and Connor are distinctly NOT human. The only real hope is for Xander, Andrew, Robyn, and Myself and yet I don't know what will happen to any of us either. Buffy never said. Part of me wishes Buffy were still here. Part of me is glad she isn't. She won't have to face what Faith and the other girls have to Faith. Sudden and Impending death. Just like at the hands of the master. She would give me a reason to hope. She would tell us that we make our own destinies, despite what's written. Ironically though… she wrote it.


	10. September 3, 2006

From the Diary for Willow Rosenburg

September 3, 2006

It's happening tomorrow. Giles told me what's coming. I'm scared. I'm scared for the girls, I'm scared for my friends, I'm scared that if I use too much magic that I'll obliterate what I've been able to save. Ever since Buffy died everyone has gotten closer. It's like we all rally around our shared pain. Even in Death Buffy is able to make things just a little better. God, I wish she was here! I wish she would tell me what to do. This if the first real apocalypse that I've ever faced without her and I don't know what to do. I'm absolutely furious with her right now. I'm furious with her because I know that she's not dead. There was no blood. None. It means the demon didn't stab her. The Gnarach demon's arm must have gone in the space between her arm and her torso. She's alive out there somewhere, in hell, in heaven, in the past, in the future. I don't know where and she could be dead already but somehow I know that she's not. There is something in the letter that she wrote which I've read dozens of times over that hints that she's not. Wherever she is I hope she's okay, and as soon as I'm done kicking Twilights ass I'm going to do whatever it takes to find her. She told me not to look for her but that's plain stupid. What if she's in hell somewhere? I can't just leave her there. I hope I can really stop Twilight tomorrow. The world, and the only real family I've ever known are depending on it.


	11. September 4, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg

September 4, 2006

I don't really feel like writing right now. I just think that if someone ever discovers this that someone should know. A sacrifice like this isn't something that should go unnoticed. It's funny though. Ironic in a way. Today is labor day. When we were all in school we all looked forward to labor day and yet dreaded it. It was the last day of true freedom before school really began. Yeah there might be a few days before that we had class but that wasn't real school, no the real work began after labor day. Labor day was the last hurrah before the long cold hard winter. Winter is here. When I woke up this morning the sun was shining. I was a powerful wicca in a loving family of slayers, vampires, and witches. Everyone knew what today was. Everyone knew what it meant. Every single person in our family had been counting down to this day and yet dreading it. It would be the last stand. We just didn't realize just how final it would be. Twilight brought an army. He didn't just bring any army either, he brought the United States Armed Forces. They had machine guns and other weapons meant for war. We had crossbows and could out muscle them easily. I don't know when each person was killed, but I hope for their sake that Giles, Xander, Andrew, and Robyn all died before the slayers did. Watching them scream and writhe in agony because one headcase decided that he knew what was best in the world was one of the worst things I've seen and I've seen a lot of bad things. It almost killed me watching them, literally. Fortunately for me Spike and Angel saw what was happening and grabbed me. They were on top of me when I finally pushed the portal closed. The damage was done though. Buffy was right. Only humans had been able to survive beyond the three of us. Yes, the vampires made it too. They are the only ones I have left. They saved me, the world, and themselves all in one heroic moment. Hundreds of innocent girls are dead. Hundreds of soldiers are wounded or dead. Every single person I've ever really cared about is gone save for one. I know I said that three of us survived, but Angel didn't really "survive" either. Funny thing about curses, they're magic. There are only two vampires left in the world. One has a soul just like any human being has a soul, and the other is one of the most dangerous and vile creatures that ever walked this earth and without the slayer there is no one left with the power to stop him. I promised Buffy that I would protect Spike and Angel and I will uphold my promise to her. Spike has basically attached himself to my side and he and I are going to turn this world inside out and upside down until we find enough magic to re insoul Angel. I will not kill someone who almost die trying to save my life. I know there is magic here somewhere. I will do whatever it takes.


	12. A History of Magic

From A History of Magic by Sasha Zanizibar

"The Great Purge"

Not Much is known about magic in the world before The Great Purge other than that it existed in much larger quantities than it does today. The Great Purge occurred September 4, 2006 and it changed the shape of the world forever. There are only three known non-human survivors of the purge and it is suspected that they were at the final stand. Since most humans had no idea about the mystical aspects of the world there are very few account from that time. The only information that we have comes from books, most specifically the diaries from the old "Watchers Council" (See Watchers Council, The). What we do know is that prior to The Great Purge demons, vampires, and other mystical creatures walked the earth in great numbers. There were numerous attempts to destroy the earth every year and the only person standing in their way was the slayer. Just prior to The Great Purge a spell was cast and suddenly hundreds of slayers walked the earth. This was considered to be a great danger to mankind. Fortunately, something called Twilight was able to put a stop to it and succeeded in sucking most of the magic from this earth. Since that time, the magic has slowly returned but not in the quantities that it once had. Demons rarely walk the earth, and while vampires still exist they are considered to be an endangered species. It was once believed that after The Great Purge all demons and vampires died out completely, however we now know that only one true vampire survived the purge. We are not sure how, or why, but what we do know is that he is one of the most vicious creatures to walk this earth and is the father of all modern vampires. The vampires mockingly refer to him as The Angel of Death. Vampires The amount of magic seems to increase every year, but nobody is quite sure as to why. Some speculate that it is the nature of this dimension to be home to large quantities of magic and that the balance is simply being restored. Others claim that a great power opened a portal of some kind and the magic is leaking in that way. There is no way to know for sure. What we do know is ever since The Great Purge the number of apocalypses attempted each year has stopped almost completely, the number of witches, and other magical creatures has dropped to almost nothing, and that a slayer has not been called in over a century. Strangely though there has been a steady increase in the vampiric population over the past century ever since they first reappeared in 2032 leading scholars to believe that the world may someday return to what it once was.


	13. October 4, 2006

From the Diary of Willow Rosenburg

October 4, 2006

I feel silly writing this since all of the slayers are gone, but somehow I feel like it is the right thing to do. It will also give me an opportunity to document how the world has changed since the battle with Twilight. I guess I should start with the immediate aftermath. After the portal was closed, and I managed to get out from under the two unconscious vampires that were on top of me I was able to get a look at my surroundings. The field were we had fought was littered with the dead and injured. Eventually paramedics began to arrive and they worked on identifying the dead and injured. Both Spike and Angel were mistaken for corpses, but when nobody was looking I moved their bodies to the castle. Somehow I knew that they weren't dead, but they would be if the sun rose, or if they woke up and a soldier happened to see it. I also had the presence of mind to lock Angel in the dungeon. When the portal closed I could feel the magic being sucked out of the world, and I felt his soul leave with it. I felt all but just a very small amount of it leave. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Angel was cursed with a soul and curses are magic. Take away the magic and what do you have? A soulless demon. Spike on the other hand wasn't cursed. He has a soul the same way that a human has a soul. I'm not exactly sure how or why that is, but that the way it is. I had trouble figuring out how Spike and Angel managed to survive when even the slayers who are considered by most of the mystical world to be human had been killed. Eventually though, it made perfect sense. They survived because of their proximity to me. I was pulling the magic, trying to keep it in this world. Trying to hold onto as much of my own power as I possibly could. In the process I saved enough magical power to keep them alive… but not enough to keep the curse intact. Now I face the daunting task of caring for two vampires, keeping a evil demon locked up in the dungeon, and somehow locating enough magical energy to restore Angel's soul. You know its funny… I never even considered for a second the thought of killing either of them. They're all I've got left. In a strange way they're my family. Besides Buffy would kill me if anything happened to either of them, which she may eventually get the opportunity to do because I don't really know what happened to her and if she's still alive I'm sure that eventually she'll find a way back. If that's even possible anymore. Both Spike and Angel remained unconscious for about a week. I kept them alive by stealing blood from the paramedics' tent and lacing it with either demons blood, or whatever small amount of magical energy I could muster. It left me wiped as if it was sucking my life's energy away, but it seemed to help. I figured in this magicless world they would need as much magical energy as they could get to survive. Eventually at the end of the first week they both began to wake up. It would only be for minutes at a time at first but by the end of the first two weeks they were able to stay conscious almost all night. Neither of them could really move yet by conscious was a start and I was happy. Spike wanted to know what happened and how he was still alive. I avoided the subject at first, but eventually I knew I would have to tell him since I was the only one at the castle with him. When Angelus woke up he just wanted to get up and go kill things, which confirmed what I already knew about Angel's soul. Angelus wouldn't shut up at night. Eventually I got fed up with it and put a gag on him. It's not exactly like he could do anything to hurt me yet. Also chained him up to the best of my ability so that when he did finally recover he wouldn't be able to get out.

It's taken four weeks but Spike is finally able to walk around and even stay awake during the daytime hours. I don't know as much about Angelus' progress since I usually just throw his blood through the door now. He really is driving me insane. Spike has told me a few interesting things as well. Apparently he has trouble fully using the face of the demon, which makes it difficult to eat some times. He also seems to have a need for human food, which is why I also make sure to throw some bread and fruit down into the dungeon with Angelus' blood. Most of the time he is only as strong and fast as the average human however just after he feeds he is able to muster a little more strength and speed. Also his heightened senses of hearing, smell, and sight seemed to have diminished somewhat as well except for right after he feeds. I've continued to try and lace as much of their blood as possible with magic, despite Spikes protests. Angelus doesn't seem to mind though. Spike and I have started brainstorming ideas about how to absorb enough magical energy to rein soul Angel (Yes, Spike agrees with me that we should find a way to rein soul him. I think he knows as much as I do that Angel is the only family we have left, and Buffy would have wanted us to help him). The only thing we've seemed to be able to come up with though is blood. We both agree that with enough blood we might be able to get enough energy but that would involve a large human sacrifice and that idea appeals to neither of us. I suggested that there might be magical talismans and other items that retained some of their power, but we'd have to go looking for some of the more powerful ones. Spike couldn't come up with a better idea so that is our plan. The only thing left to do is figure out what to do with Angelus. There is no one left that we can trust to watch over him for us, and we certainly can't take him with. In fact it's best if he doesn't even know what we're up to. As much as it pains me to say it we may just have to let him go.


	14. Arrival

Zanika was walking down the street in the "lowers" as it was termed nowadays. She was on her way to visit one of her friends. It was the middle of the day and she made sure to avoid shadows and dark alleys. She knew better than to risk running into the "lurks" and "lurks" lived in the shadows. Everybody knows that. Suddenly there was a large flash and what looked like a large disk of yellow light appeared in the middle of the street in front of her. She quickly jumped out of the way, and it's a good thing she did because a large scaly "thing" with swords for arms landed where she had been only moments before. Zanika was screamed in terror. She didn't know what that thing was but she knew it wasn't good. She also knew that the "thing" would probably kill her. Seconds later a small blond girl not much older than Zanika herself fell through the portal as well. The girls saw her and told her to run, but Zanika couldn't move. She was frozen in fear. She was afraid for her life, and she was worried about the small blonde girl too. She shouldn't have worried. Zanika didn't know how it was even possible but the small blond girl started pummeling the "thing" in a whir of motion. Every time the "thing" tried to stab at her with one of it's sword like arms the girl would jump out of the way just in time as if she knew the "things" every move in advance. Suddenly the girl jumped into the air and somersaulted over the "thing" and landed directly behind it. Zanika had never seen anything like that before. She was certain that this strange girl was some kind of superhero like in the old movies in the museums. Zanika had some family that lived in the "uppers" so she knew about computers and had gotten to see some of the old movies from hundreds of years ago. She'd always enjoyed them and as a child had fantasized about being one of those superheroes, but now she wasn't so sure. The girl grabbed the "thing" around its neck and twisted so hard Zanika was sure that the "things" head might just pop right off. She was glad that it didn't. She already felt sick enough as it was, and she was sure that if she saw that "thing" loose it's head that she would loose her lunch. The "thing" crumpled to the ground dead and the young girl took a second to catch her breathe before turning to Zanika and asking, "What year is it?" Now Zanika was certain that this young girl was crazy. Not only had she appeared out of nowhere with that "thing", but she had fought it, and now she didn't even know what year it was. Did this young girl have amnesia? It took Zanika a few minutes to regain her composure before she could answer. That's when she noticed how strangely the girl was dressed. She was wearing a tight fitting black top that looked like something she'd seen in a museum once called a "tank-top" she could never figure out what a shirt had to do with tanks, or why anyone would want to wear something so bland. She was also wearing some pants made of a blue fabric she'd never seen before and some black shoes that looked decidedly uncomfortable. Zanika was pretty sure this woman was insane. "2254" Zanika replied, "March 27, 2254". The blonde girl seemed to think about this for a second and then her eyes suddenly got very wide and she yelled something very loudly. Zanika wasn't sure what it meant, it may not have meant anything considering this woman was most certainly insane, but the word sounded something like "Shet!". She then went off on some rant about how she was going to kill some person named "kordeeleeuh" and that she better locate something named "Willow". Zanika was certain that the woman was looking for some kind of tree which was supposed to help her find an Angel. "The only trees I know of are in the forests of Yaminkurn out in the boonies." Zanika told the strange girl. The girl looked at her strangely, but then said "thanks". Zanika had never really grown up with "ligion", but some of her friends had, and in school they had learned about an ancient "ligion" that believed in some sort of guardian called an "Angel". She wasn't sure if that's what this strange girl was looking for but she was pretty certain that this woman wouldn't find it. The girl looked at Zanika and said "I'm Buffy, by the way. I know what you saw was strange, it was just a mutated lurk. Don't worry I don't think you'll see anything like that again any time soon. You should get home… It's getting dark." Zanika had no idea what to say, so she just stared. As the girl, who she now knew was Buffy, (_What kind of name is Buffy anyway? Probably a name for an insane person.)_ began to walk away Zanika asked, "How did you kill it? Lurks are supposed to be strong, their on drugs… how…?" Buffy turned back to Zanika and replied, "I learned how to fight in the lowers, I guess I just got lucky." Buffy then turned and walked away.


	15. How

I never thought I'd end up back here. I thought maybe a hundred years in the future, or maybe two hundred, but not back here. Never back here. That means that Willow wasn't the only survivor of the final battle. That means Angel survived too. I know he's here somewhere, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I don't know how I didn't catch it the last time I was here, which oddly enough according to today's date and time is about five minutes ago.

I guess I better go find Willow. She may not be all that witchy any more, but she's my best bet at being able to track down Angel. I should probably go find Melaka too and apologize. I was all self righteous the last time I was here, and in the end I was completely wrong. She'd make a pretty good ally for the coming battle too. I still haven't figured out how Angel and Willow survived, as Melaka calls it "the great Purge". I just know that they did. Willow because I had to stop her from ending the world, again, and Angel because he's the reason that I'm here. That still seems weird. As much as I love him, which I do, I never thought that I'd have to give up my life, and the only friends and family that I know to follow him to some creepy future world. It gets even weirder because the only reason that I even know about all this is because Cordelia, who used to go out of her way to make my life miserable, told me. She's the one who told me about the stupid Gnarach demon. She's the one who told me that I was going to go to the future. She's the one who told me about the Shanshu prophecy.

The first time she visited me she told me about the Shanshu prophecy and that it was about Angel. She also told me that it wasn't actually going to occur for a few hundred years. I was righteously pissed. All the things Angel had given up, all the things I had given up and he wasn't even going to be able to enjoy the benefits for another two or three hundred years. That was also when she told me about the day that wasn't. Apparently she wasn't even supposed to tell me but she figured that it couldn't hurt. I was really pissed with Angel for like a week after that. Everyone kept making comments about how moody I was with him, but I didn't care. After the stunt he pulled he deserved it.

The second time that Cordy came she explained about the future. She explained about the battle and how there was a good chance that unless someone was there to help him that Angel could end up siding with evil. She didn't have to tell me twice. I'd been to the future and it was definitely depressing enough for even me to consider that ending it might be the merciful thing to do. Of course I would never have told Willow that. I did need to get back to my own time with out her destroying the world or else I wouldn't be going back. Cordelia had sneakily hinted that if I were to be alive in the future that maybe I could stop Angel from siding with evil and help him SAVE the world. When I asked her how that could possibly even happen she simply said "immortal people live forever". Cryptic much? I Swear! She's worse than Angel! That's when I went to Giles about the immortality stuff. I went to Angel first. I asked him if he'd ever met anyone who'd lived forever other than vampires. I asked him what he would be willing to do to make sure that the vision that Wolfram and Hart had put in his head never came true. He wanted to know how I knew about that. I didn't tell him. I couldn't tell him. I got the feeling that anything Cordelia related would be too painful. I'd been there too. After Spike died in Sunnydale I had a hard time talking about him too. The look that flashed across his eyes though when I mentioned the vision that Wolfram and Hart had given him told me enough. He would do anything to keep that future from happening. I asked him if he would be willing to do anything to stop that vision from coming true. He said yes. Even turn me into what you are? A demon with a soul? That set him off big time. He went off on some rant about pain and suffering and evil. Spike is right; he really can be long winded when he's all speechy. It's actually kind of cute. I hadn't really meant anything by it, but it was the only way that I could think of that would make me immortal. He kept asking why I would ask a thing like that? Why I would ever bring up something so terrible? I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. "You never know what the future holds Angel." Okay, so that was kind of mean which is why it didn't bother me when he told Giles not to tell me anything about becoming immortal. I think I may have possibly brought up some really old issues with nightmare and scary stuff so I let it go.

It didn't matter in the end really because it was that night that Cordelia visited me the final time. She told me that I was going to be going to the future. She told me that my dream about the Gnarach was real and that that's how I'd get there. She told me there'd be no coming back. I knew that. It's not like the alternative was really that much better. If I stayed I'd likely die anyway, and I'd certainly die long before that Shanshu thingy was gonna come true. I thanked her for warning me and for looking out for Angel. If there was one thing I could tell from talking with her it was that she really did care for him. I get the feeling that in a way Cordy was for Angel what Spike was for me after he got his soul back. She was his best friend in the whole world and the one person that he could count on to have his back when it counted. I guess Cordy really did turn out alright.

There is one thing that I have to say I find eternally amusing about all this. When Angel left me back in Sunnydale he had a list about a mile long for why he was terrible for me and we shouldn't be together. He's a vampire, I'm the slayer. He can't go out in the day. We can't have picnics. He can't have children. He's going to live forever, I'm not. I deserve a real relationship with a real person. His curse. Of all those reasons he gave most of them mean nothing. The only reason he's still a vampire is because he is a stubborn dumb ass who doesn't think! (Okay, maybe there is still some residual anger there.), and It's not like I'm even THE slayer anymore. I'm just one of many, or at least I was. Even back in Sunnydale we had two slayers. Granted Faith was in a coma for a while and then she was in prison but still… As far as the whole daytime excuse thing goes that could have been cleared up, again, if he wasn't such a stubborn dumb ass! For Christ sake, it's not like it was easy to get the Gem of Amara back from Spike and if I wanted it destroyed I could have done it myself! Okay Picnics! Seriously! I did one of those with Riley and LAME! It's food, only outside, where there are ants, and flys, and other creepy crawlies that can get in your food, or your clothes, or your hair. No thank you! Besides last time I checked there was no law against having a picnic at night! Moonlight picnics are sooooo much nicer. For starters fewer bugs and also fewer people staring. The Children thing turned out to be one of the lamest one of all because HELLO Connor! And even if you forget about Connor I wouldn't really want to bring children into this hell whole of a world anyway. Plus, A pregnant slayer? Really? The immortality thing turned out to be a bust too because of the fact that I'm here in the future. Turns out it really doesn't matter how you get here just that you get here. Finally, the dumbest reason of all, having a real relationship with a real guy. Okay! Let's just count the ways that this one went wrong. First there was Parker who used me shamelessly and then felt the need to tell the whole school about it, and then there was Riley. Good old dependable Riley, who turned out to be working for a covert military operation hell bent on creating an army of super soldiers and in the process created that creepy Adam beast that was nearly unstoppable, and if that wasn't bad enough Riley decided that I didn't love him enough because I had a thing for vampires and decided to let those whores suck on him and then he had the nerve to give an ultimatum. Needless to say I'm glad that I didn't get to the helipad in time. At least I could somewhat trust Spike, and Spike didn't have weird issues with the fact that I was stronger than him. Plus Spike was a WAY better lover than Riley ever was. So, of all the dozens of stupid little reasons that Angel had for leaving me we are down to one, the curse. Okay, I'll give him that one. We had a hard enough time keeping our hands off of each other before he left, but if enough time had past, and we stopped caring, and Willow could always re-curse him… see where this is going. Angel was definitely right about this one, but once again this wouldn't have even been an issue if Angel wasn't always such a stubborn dumb ass! Plus, Willow the mega wicca not only had enough mojo to try and end the world, and bring me back to life, and activate all the potential slayers in the entire world, and even stop Twilight from sucking all the magic out of the world and I'm suppose to believe that she couldn't come up with some sort of alternative to that stupid gypsy curse (which by the way if I ever get a chance to meet anyone of those stupid gypsies I'm am going to give them a piece of my mind and then beat them so hard that their ancestors feel it. Although given my new situation that is probably never going to happen.) Seriously though, now that I think about it I don't know why I never though about making a different curse, or spell, or whatever. After all Spike isn't cursed and he has a soul! Or is it wasn't now? I wonder if Spike survived too. Probably not because of all the magic being sucked away, but if Angel made it then maybe Spike did too. Wouldn't that be funny, the two of them getting stuck with each other for another 250 some odd years. Maybe this future thing won't be so bad after all. Especially if that Shushu prophecy thingy comes true!


End file.
